Christmas and New Year are time for parties, dressing up and looking your best which usually involves a trip to the hairdressers. Lets go back 60 years and see what Joe could offer at his hairdressing salon in Baring Street, South Shields. The first piece of latest technology was the Krinometer which Joe purchased in 1948.

Krinometer

This gadget was used to calculate the steaming times and appropriate temperatures for natural, straight hair with a ‘Note’ to show the adjustments for bleached or dyed hair. A strand of hair was fitted into a groove below the dome and the plunger on the right was pushed in as the metal carriage on the left was pressed into the groove to hold the hair. Across the top of the Krinometer is a dial with a pointer which indicates the ‘hair quality index’ which was then matched with the timings on the scale. The plunger was then pressed again before withdrawing the carriage to remove the hair.

Instruction leaflet

There was also a dial with rotating discs which helped Joe calculate the dilution ratios for the different hair textures. Although I don’t think his customers would appreciate finding out that they had ‘lank, greasy hair’.

Madison magic heat system

When all the steaming, perming, bleaching or tinting processes were complete, Joe would ‘plug’ you in to his new Waving Machine!

Eugene magic wireless waving machine

There are 24 metal roller clamps (rather like bulldog clips) fitted on to elements across the top of the box, which contained the electrics, with a guage at the front to register the temperature. When the roller clamps had reached the desired temperature they were clipped over the hair which had been wound round thin bakerlite curlers. The drawer at the bottom of the box contains a variety of rollers, metal clamps and flat rubber hair holders.

The clamps fitted over the heating elements

If you can tell me any more about these items please get in touch, meanwhile, when you next reach for your curling tongs be very grateful that it’s not 1950!